Qwest is committed to conducting its business lawfully and with integrity. We insist on the highest standards of ethical behavior from our employees and vendors. As Qwest chairman and chief executive officer Ed Mueller has said, our corporate values and core attributes provide "guidance as to the behaviors that will drive our success." These values include being:
- Ethical and honest
- Inclusive and embracing of diversity
- Respectful
These standards are more than objectives, they are requirements. And we strive to hold ourselves and our agents to the principles of telling the truth and acting in good faith.
To promote awareness of these principles and complying with them, Qwest has an Ethics and Compliance Program, overseen by a chief ethics and compliance officer, who reports to Qwest’s audit committee on ethics and compliance matters.
We set forth our ethical principles in a Code of Conduct, which is the cornerstone of our Ethics and Compliance Program. Every employee is required to acknowledge annually that they have received and reviewed the code, and understand and agree to abide by it. Qwest views the code as a "living document" that continues to evolve and improve with the benefit of continued analysis and experience.
Understanding that ethics and compliance are a company–wide effort, we provide employees and vendors with numerous resources to help them regularly make ethical business decisions.
Employees can obtain guidance on ethical issues from their supervisors or by contacting the Qwest Advice Line, which is staffed by professionals who provide employees with "real-time" guidance in addressing ethical issues. Employees can contact the Advice Line anonymously and without fear of reprisal.
Qwest also has an internal Web page dedicated to Ethics and Compliance. In 2009, this page had over 13 million views.
Qwest instills the idea of ethical behavior in our employees through training and periodic reminder messages that include:
- Mandatory annual training for all employees, including executive officers, on the Code of Conduct and corporate policies
- Mandatory, targeted job-related ethics and compliance training
- Compliance awareness tools (posters, wallet cards, e-mails, articles, etc.)
- Routine communications on policy changes and Ethics and Compliance requirements
The board of directors also receives training on its oversight responsibilities concerning the Ethics and Compliance Program.
Because Qwest is committed to conducting business with integrity and ethics, and in compliance with applicable law, we expect our suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, contractors, agents, consultants and other business partners to embrace and share our commitment to integrity and compliance, and to comply with applicable law.
We specifically require all suppliers to comply with ethical business practices.
To ensure that Qwest’s Ethics and Compliance Program continues to meet or exceed industry standards, Qwest consults with various organizations that help establish Ethics and Compliance Program standards, including:
- Corporate Executive Board (CEB), including its Compliance and Ethics Leadership Council and the General Counsel Roundtable
- Ethics Resource Center
- Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics
- University of Denver’s Voices of Experience
